Middle East Defence & Security

Arji

Active Member
Won't it be awkward if the US removed sanction on Iranian Oil only for the Israeli to bomb Iranian Oil infrastructure after.
 

Redshift

Active Member
Truly shocking. Apparently we're also only now learning that Iran is located right next to a major shipping artery chokepoint where it has the ability to disrupt global trade. This is definitely an unprecedented state of affairs. I can only wonder how Iran managed to quietly move their entire landmass to this crucial position without anyone noticing.
One very famous pro Brexit government MP in the UK expressed surprise at how much trade came through Dover from France , I mean would have thought the English channel was a major source of trade, I mean it's only been in use for a couple of thousand years
 

hauritz

Well-Known Member
For those thinking that ground forces could be inserted on the Iranian side of the Strait of Hormuz. Apparantly this is pretty typical of the sort of coastline they would encounter.

hormuz.jpg
 

swerve

Super Moderator
One very famous pro Brexit government MP in the UK expressed surprise at how much trade came through Dover from France , I mean would have thought the English channel was a major source of trade, I mean it's only been in use for a couple of thousand years
He's now in the Reform (read xenophobic, racist) party.

The really mind-blowing thing about what he said about Dover was that he seemed unaware of how it would be seen. He was so ignorant that he didn't have any idea how ignorant he was. And the Tories made him a government minister - four times!
 

rsemmes

Active Member
What does it even mean “to put boots on the ground to take control of Hormuz”?
Easy...
Just like in Vietnam, Trump only has to deploy firebases all along those ~500km; and in Qeshm island. Of course, it is going to be a lot easier now, because there is no jungle. Yes, they will have to send patrols to recon the areas between firebases, but that is going to be easier too, because now they will have a lot of radars and drones to do it. Obviously, that will provide Iran with a lot of fixed (and closer) targets, but that is just but a small inconvenience, like making gas at the pump more expensive.
Never mind the topography of the coastline, they will deploy (and supply) everything by helicopter. Well, they could drop some paras first, like in Dien Bien Phu...

Easy for Trump, I mean.
 
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rsemmes

Active Member
He's now in the Reform (read xenophobic, racist) party.

The really mind-blowing thing about what he said about Dover was that he seemed unaware of how it would be seen. He was so ignorant that he didn't have any idea how ignorant he was. And the Tories made him a government minister - four times!
And not only Dover...
I remember how surprised they were by, being an island, the quantity of imports (and exports) we were getting through ports; and paperwork.
 

hauritz

Well-Known Member
Joint statment from a number of countries condemning Iran's attacks on shipping and civilian infrastructure in the Strait of Hormuz. Possibly the first step before military intervention. The world literally cannot afford a disruption to oil supplies.
 
Joint statment from a number of countries condemning Iran's attacks on shipping and civilian infrastructure in the Strait of Hormuz. Possibly the first step before military intervention. The world literally cannot afford a disruption to oil supplies.
The combined combat power of the countries on that list is what, maybe 20% of CENTCOM?
 

uguduwa

Member
So Trump is now threatening to hit power plans in Iran if they didn‘t open the strait. I guess the 47 is getting desperate and can’t find a way out of this mess. I would guess Iran in return would desalination plants and energy infrastructhre in GCC.
 

KipPotapych

Well-Known Member
So Trump is now threatening to hit power plans in Iran if they didn‘t open the strait.
And imagine thinking it would work.

I guess the 47 is getting desperate and can’t find a way out of this mess.
And he had now put himself in the position where he will have to either back down on his threat (the logical step for anyone with common sense), but show more weakness and basically lack of ability to deter/resist. Or, conversely, he will have to act and do what he promised and see if this would happen (which it will):

I would guess Iran in return would desalination plants and energy infrastructhre in GCC.
In addition, assuring more internal support for the regime, which is now more radical than before. Houthis finally get involved? Who knows.


If you look at the guy’s tweets, you can really see the fight within. It’s as if the guy is bipolar. I know, madman strategy and 4D chess and all… In reality, probably an entitled, weak-minded, old narcissist, who had been encouraged like never before for the past 14-16 months; he had now stepped into something more than he can process and, while his usual tactics have shown to fail in this case over and again, he keeps employing those same tactics. This is not a strategy of a madman, this is the definition of insanity.

Assuming some coalition will act on opening the strait. What can they really do? Nothing that the US can’t, I would say. The question is then, can they not act?

China… The manufacturing hub of the world. The leading actor in green energy, with advertised, what they now call, excess capacity (while Trump has been killing even the idea of it domestically). The major buyer of the Russian oil (used to be at a significant discount vs most of the rest of the world). The major buyer of the Iranian oil (used to be at a significant discount vs most of the rest of the world). The largest strategic reserves of oil in the world, thanks to the previous two sentences, gratitude of the shortsighted politics of the western world. Can buy anything anyone else can buy at market prices and can probably offer premium for the US shale oil (or anything else) to substitute for the oil they may be missing from the Gulf. Or, timed right, they can lose some reserves domestically to keep the market price down to soften the global recession caused by Iran (read the US).

A while back (1.5 years ago or so?), over the conversation with someone here via the PM, I said that the USA and the world can outlive another Trump and be just fine. I may have been very wrong and underestimated the effect of Trump2 greatly. What are you gonna do though.
 

KipPotapych

Well-Known Member
Easy...
Just like in Vietnam, Trump only has to deploy firebases all along those ~500km; and in Qeshm island. Of course, it is going to be a lot easier now, because there is no jungle. Yes, they will have to send patrols to recon the areas between firebases, but that is going to be easier too, because now they will have a lot of radars and drones to do it. Obviously, that will provide Iran with a lot of fixed (and closer) targets, but that is just but a small inconvenience, like making gas at the pump more expensive.
Never mind the topography of the coastline, they will deploy (and supply) everything by helicopter. Well, they could drop some paras first, like in Dien Bien Phu...

Easy for Trump, I mean.
Well,


IMG_4500.jpeg
 

uguduwa

Member
And imagine thinking it would work.


And he had now put himself in the position where he will have to either back down on his threat (the logical step for anyone with common sense), but show more weakness and basically lack of ability to deter/resist. Or, conversely, he will have to act and do what he promised and see if this would happen (which it will):



In addition, assuring more internal support for the regime, which is now more radical than before. Houthis finally get involved? Who knows.


If you look at the guy’s tweets, you can really see the fight within. It’s as if the guy is bipolar. I know, madman strategy and 4D chess and all… In reality, probably an entitled, weak-minded, old narcissist, who had been encouraged like never before for the past 14-16 months; he had now stepped into something more than he can process and, while his usual tactics have shown to fail in this case over and again, he keeps employing those same tactics. This is not a strategy of a madman, this is the definition of insanity.

Assuming some coalition will act on opening the strait. What can they really do? Nothing that the US can’t, I would say. The question is then, can they not act?

China… The manufacturing hub of the world. The leading actor in green energy, with advertised, what they now call, excess capacity (while Trump has been killing even the idea of it domestically). The major buyer of the Russian oil (used to be at a significant discount vs most of the rest of the world). The major buyer of the Iranian oil (used to be at a significant discount vs most of the rest of the world). The largest strategic reserves of oil in the world, thanks to the previous two sentences, gratitude of the shortsighted politics of the western world. Can buy anything anyone else can buy at market prices and can probably offer premium for the US shale oil (or anything else) to substitute for the oil they may be missing from the Gulf. Or, timed right, they can lose some reserves domestically to keep the market price down to soften the global recession caused by Iran (read the US).

A while back (1.5 years ago or so?), over the conversation with someone here via the PM, I said that the USA and the world can outlive another Trump and be just fine. I may have been very wrong and underestimated the effect of Trump2 greatly. What are you gonna do though.
It was also clear who Trump is - an entitled, incompetent manchild who burned everything he has ever touched. If it was not clear to anyone had any doubts, Trump‘s 1st term was enough to make it crystal clear. When general Mattis left the clown show of an administration, any hope that this man could have a tiny bit competence was gone for me. Fast forward to the 2nd administration, now the professionals who knew what they were doing were replaced by conmen and podcasters. It‘s only a testament to his incredible luck that he lasted for a year without a major screwup. Now he has finally run out of his luck.

So my point is, the responsibility lies solely with the American public. They replaced a competent professional administration that delivered them the strongest economy of G7 with a bunch of clowns willingly. This is not a country that is fit to take any kind of leadership role in the world.
 
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